Jewlarious Must-See TV

Three new Jewish shows you just can't miss.

Genre: Situation Comedy Date: Thursday Nights 8 p.m.Synopsis: A geriatric father and animal-rights advocate struggles to raise three boys while the world around him is destroyed.

Television's favorite "Man who walks with God" returns for a second smash season. Save yourself and join the fun as Noah's three sons Shem, Ham and Japheth compete with an Ark-full of animals for their father's attention. Just don't forget good old Mom. And do you know her name? All will be revealed this Thursday night.

This is one Full Houseboat of laughs you won't want to miss! See what critics call "The #1 reason to come in out of the rain."

Season 2 Premier: A Giant Problem

Noah's wacky neighbor ‘Og the Giant' pays the family a surprise visit. The laughter is contagious when Noah must draw on his sheer animal magnetism to contend with this real ‘hanger-on' who refuses to leave.

THE FINAL CUT: THE SEARCH FOR ISRAEL'S NEXT SUPER MOHEL

Host: MILA Genre: Reality ProgramShow Synopsis: Just a little off the top.

Fourteen mohels live together 24/6 to compete for incredible prizes including $50 in gauze plus, a feature fashion spread in MoyElle Magazine. Contestants able to endure the rigors of Bris Boot Camp advance to the Catwalks of Tel Aviv where they are judged on their poise and technique. Panel judges are comprised of mohels and representatives from several world-wide kashrut agencies with the authority to offer international moheling contracts.

The highlight of every show concludes with one winner chosen to perform that week's Bris on a surprise (and surprised) Celebrity Guest Baby.

Genre: Made for Israel TV Movie Special EventStaring: Sydney PoitierSynopsis: A rabbi solves a murder at a falafel stand in Jenin while winning the respect of local Arab terrorists.

Two anniversaries commemorated in one movie makes for one full night of spectacular television!

Welcome the New Year with the made for Israeli TV movie, In The Heat of the Night II, celebrating the 40th anniversaries of Jerusalem's reunification and the original release of Sidney Poitier's movie classic, In The Heat of the Night.

Back in ‘67 he was a cop from the racially torn streets of Philadelphia. Today, he's a rabbi from Jerusalem with a nose for falafel. The only one trusted by both Fatah and Hamas to identify the poisonous chick peas that have been used to kill in the terrorist war between the two factions. Forty years ago his name was Virgil. Today he's Shmuel.

And by the way; they no longer call him Mr. Tibbs. Instead, they call him... Mr. Tibbon. Shmuel ben Judah Ibn Tibbon, that is.

The opinions expressed in the comment section are the personal views of the commenters. Comments are moderated, so please keep it civil.

Visitor Comments: 7

(7)
anita steele,
September 6, 2007 12:05 AM

thank you for Aish jokes,summaries,etc.

I am elderly(old),in not such good health and your videos and Jewish connections are very important to me. Our congregation just closed so not much else to connect with-but the internet.

(6)
Neil Osina,
September 5, 2007 2:49 AM

ALL these bubbamisers sound so good

Someone needs to write more stories about Moyels. We ALL need another good T.V. series about our Jewish Heritage from previous generations who spoke a little yiddish along with the english to remind ALL in us about the old ways and learning some new sayings we can teach our grand-children. In my house there was no yiddish, but in my grandma's house there always was. I miss that.

(5)
Geoffrey,
September 5, 2007 2:43 AM

Warrning: Don't eat peanut candy while reading this!!

I was eating some peanut candy reading this article, and when I read "14 Moyels live together 24/6 to compete for incredible prizes including $50.00 in gauze" I erupted in laughter, peanut candy shot out, I breathed some in, oy, it took me some minutes to regain my composure, and lung function.. -such an image -an Orthodox moyel grinning at $50 in gauze!! Such a prize! Great "in" jokes, I love it! Thanks!

(4)
jaklinbabazadeh,
September 4, 2007 11:29 PM

Happy holidays

you written us all about all the three shows you could have at list show the 2mins video as well that would have been nice and great as well. And happy holidays for you and all the people at aish.com

(3)
Anonymous,
September 4, 2007 4:53 PM

Very funny and very clever. More!

(2)
David Oliwek,
September 4, 2007 8:05 AM

So Nu??

With a great body of Jewish comedy to draw from the potential for Jewish programs can be endless. So Nu??

(1)
Brenda Yablon,
September 3, 2007 11:41 AM

I really enjoyed this piece. It's outrageous and clever without being offensive.

My Christian friends are always speaking about “faith.” To me this sounds a lot like blind faith. Is that really the essence of religion?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

I'm afraid that this is another case of a Christian concept being mis-associated with Judaism.

Let's first define our terms. What is faith?

Webster defines faith as "Belief without proof."

What is knowledge? "An acquaintance with truth, facts or principles through study or investigation."

Faith is usually a product of desire. Have you ever gotten a tip on the market that guarantees you're going to triple your money in a month? A lot of smart people have gotten fleeced because they ignored the evidence and went with their feelings.

Knowledge, on the other hand, is based on evidence. We know there's a place called China because we have too many products in our house saying "made in China." There's a lot of evidence for the existence of China, even though most of us have never been there.

Judaism unequivocally comes down on the side of knowledge, not faith. In Deuteronomy 4:39, the Torah says: "You shall know this day, and understand it well in your heart, that the Almighty is God; in the heaven above and the earth below, there is none other." (This verse is also contained in the prayer, "Aleynu.")

This verse tells us that it is not enough to simply know in your head, intellectually, that God is the Controller of everything. You must know it in your heart! This knowledge is much more profound than an intellectual knowledge. God gave us a brain because he wants us to think rationally about the world, our role in it, and our relationship with God.

A conviction based on desire or feelings alone has no place in Judaism. The Hebrew word "emunah," which is often translated as faith, does not describe a conviction based on feelings or desire. It describes a conviction that is based on evidence.

Once this knowledge is internalized, it effects how a person lives. A person with this knowledge could transform every breathing moment into a mitzvah, for he would do everything for the sake of the heaven. But this is not a "knowledge," that comes easily. Only intensive Torah learning and doing mitzvahs can achieve this knowledge. Every word of Torah we learn moves us just a little bit closer to that goal. And everyone is capable of that.

To learn more, read "The Knowing Heart," by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Feldheim.com). This entire book is an explanation of this verse!

In 350 BCE, the building of the second Holy Temple was completed in Jerusalem, as recorded in the biblical Book of Ezra (6:15). The re-building of the Temple had begun under Cyrus when the Persians first took over the Babylonian empire. The re-building was then interrupted for 18 years, and resumed with the blessing of Darius II, the Persian king whom is said to be the son of Esther. The Second Temple lacked much of the glory of the First Temple: There was no Ark of the Covenant, and the daily miracles and prophets were no longer part of the scenery. The Second Temple would stand for 420 years, before being destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE.

You shall know this day and consider it within your heart(Deuteronomy 4:39).

Business people who are involved in many transactions employ accountants to analyze their operations and to determine whether or not they are profitable. They may also seek the help of experts to determine which products are making money and which are losing. Such studies allow them to maximize their profits and minimize their losses. Without such data, they might be doing a great deal of business, but discover at the end of the year that their expenditures exceeded their earnings.

Sensible people give at least as much thought to the quality and achievement of their lives as they do to their businesses. Each asks himself, "Where am I going with my life? What am I doing that is of value? In what ways am I gaining and improving? And which practices should I increase, and which should I eliminate?"

Few people make such reckonings. Many of those that do, do so on their own, without consulting an expert's opinion. These same people would not think of being their own business analysts and accountants, and they readily pay large sums of money to engage highly qualified experts in these fields.

Jewish ethical works urge us to regularly undergo cheshbon hanefesh, a personal accounting. We would be foolish to approach this accounting of our very lives with any less seriousness than we do our business affairs. We should seek out the "spiritual C.P.A.s," those who have expertise in spiritual guidance, to help us in our analyses.

Today I shall...

look for competent guidance in doing a personal moral inventory and in planning my future.

With stories and insights,
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